It's hard to top winning a national championship, but the young offseason has been kind to the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners.The program announced that the trio of freshmen pitchers — Cord Rager, Xander Mercurius and Nick Wesloski — will remain with the team and prepare for next year's national title defense. run it back 🔒@Cordrager9 x @Xandermercurius x @NickWesloski pic.twitter.com/m4rFuRqk1C— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 29, 2026Each pitcher started in the three games of the Men's College World Series championship series against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Rager earned a win in game one against UNC while Mercurius started hot in game two but tailed off before the Tar Heels forced a decisive third game. Wesloski got the start in the rubber match, but LJ Mercurius was credited with the win after dominating 5.2 innings in 79 pitches. Oklahoma pitcher Xander Mercurius pitches against North Carolina in Game 2 of the CWS Finals. | Carson Field / Sooners On SIConsidering that Skip Johnson was forced to replace his entire starting rotation coming into 2026, having his superstar freshmen all committed to returning will set Oklahoma up for a serious run at defending their crown.OU has already earned transfer portal commitments from Tennessee UTL Jay Abernathy, Edmond native and former Arkansas short stop Carson Brumbaugh, Cal State Northridge outfielder Vaughn Coleman, Pittsburgh catcher Sebastian Pisacreta, Texas A&M second baseman Sawyer Farr, a pair of RHPs from UT-Arlington in Caylon Dygert and Hayes Melville.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.In addition, OU has also lost Alec Blair and Drew Dickerson to the transfer portal. Oklahoma also lost recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Todd Butler to Florida for what has been reported as a "large salary increase." Butler played at OU under Enos Semore.With Oklahoma retaining their pitchers, the loss of Cameron Johnson — who didn't see the mound once during the Sooners' postseason run — will be easier to navigate. While Johnson dealt with inconsistency and injuries during his time in Norman, his high-end performances were some of the best OU saw from the mound all season. The elder Mercurius brother's future is not yet known. Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson raises the NCAA Championship Trophy after the Sooners won the College World Series. | Carson Field / Sooners On SIRager went 7-3 on the year with a 4.74 ERA. He missed two weeks with an injury to his lat but returned to form quickly after for OU's final few weeks of the regular season. Mercurius went 1-3 — his first win coming against Georgia which propelled the Sooners to the championship series — and a 5.76 ERA. Wesloski posted a 2-1 record with a 3.65 ERA. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow